Lint is produced in a clothes dryer by the tumbling action of the clothes dryer drum, which tends to abrade cloth during the drying process.
Manufacturers of clothes dryers have installed lint screens so as to catch the lint, in order to prevent it from clogging the inner mechanisms and exhaust ports of the dryer unit. The lint filters that are used in most clothes dryers are generally efficient in removing most of the lint produced during the tumbling action.
Despite such generally efficient filters, however, fine particles of lint often escape through and around lint screens. These errant particles of lint eventually build up to a point where they clog the inner mechanisms, particularly the exhaust tubing of the dryer machine. When this happens, the machine must work harder in order to force the heated air through the drying system. This, in turn, results in poor drying action and greater wear upon the moving parts of the drum.
In some cases, the lint accumulates to the extent that it completely clogs the dryer's flexible exhaust hose. When this happens, the heat from the exhaust gases becomes trapped by the lint material. When ignition temperature is reached, the lint begins to char and burn. Several fires are known to have been caused thus.
The cleaning of lint cavities in clothes dryers has heretofore been achieved by using a stiff brush and a vacuum wand. The brush is first employed to loosen the lint from the sides of the cabinet, and the vacuum wand thrust inside the lint cavity to evacuate the loosened lint materials.
There are several disadvantages to cleaning a lint cavity in this manner. The brushes and wands are stiff and cannot usually reach around corners and into inaccessible crevices. In addition, it is a two-step process, requiring that: (a) the walls of the cabinet first be scrubbed with the brush, and (b) the vacuum then applied to the loosened lint areas.
The present invention is a new cleaning tool that combines brushing and vacuum cleaning action into a single utensil, whereby the lint is vacuumed as it is simultaneously being loosened from the cabinet walls. The cleaning wand of this invention is flexible, so that it can more readily be manipulated around corners and into remote areas of the cabinet. The shape of the hollow wand is substantially flat, and thus it is highly flexible for working in narrow and remote areas. The nozzle of the wand has unique scraping surfaces that line the air-inlet windows, allowing lint to be simultaneously loosened and vacuumed away. Bristles can be added about these scraping surfaces to further enhance the cleaning action.